New Leader Appointed For Jumoke Charter Schools

HARTFORD — Troy Monroe, a former academic director for the beleaguered charter school operator FUSE, has been named the new leader of Jumoke Academy.

Monroe recently served as acting co-CEO for Family Urban Schools of Excellence after last month's resignation of its founder and chief executive, Michael M. Sharpe. Amid the unfolding scandal, Jumoke fired FUSE as its management organization on July 11.

Jumoke's board of directors met Friday night and appointed Monroe as interim executive director in charge of running the three Jumoke public charter schools in Hartford, school officials said. He replaces Sharpe's nephew, Joseph Dickerson III, who had been Jumoke's executive director this past year.

Raymond Bell, Jumoke's board president, declined to say Tuesday night whether the government-subsidized Jumoke Academy will conduct a broader, competitive search for a permanent director. Bell said he would not comment on "Jumoke's operational business."

The state Department of Education has demanded that Jumoke conduct such a search as a condition of the 60-day probation that has been imposed on the charter school.

The leadership change at Jumoke came a week after FBI agents served federal grand jury subpoenas in connection with FUSE and its operations, following disclosures in The Courant about Sharpe and concerns over the group's two-year, state-funded management of Hartford's Milner School.

State Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor notified Dickerson on July 18 that he was placing Jumoke on probation. The notice was issued after Courant reporters saw a woman shredding documents in a Jumoke-owned building — despite an ongoing investigation commissioned by the State Board of Education a month ago into the charter school's governance, operations and finances.

In a letter released to The Courant Tuesday evening, Pryor ordered Jumoke to cooperate with the state probe and to submit a corrective action plan by Aug. 8. Pryor also stated in the July 25 letter to Bell that the Jumoke board "has demonstrated ineffective leadership" and that there are "continuing concerns regarding familial relationships within the organization."

"In addition, the interrelatedness between [FUSE] and Jumoke, and the potentially ambiguous leadership structures of the organizations, raise serious questions about the ability of the Jumoke governing board to carry out the work of the charter school," Pryor said.

Bell, whose wife, Karen, works as an enrichment coordinator for Jumoke Academy, said the board will address Pryor's concerns.

It was unclear Tuesday whether Dickerson will remain employed with Jumoke. Christine Chinni, an attorney representing the charter school, said Monroe will make that decision eventually.

Monroe and Dickerson could not be reached for comment.

Sharpe pleaded guilty in 1989 to federal charges of embezzlement and conspiracy, and for years, as CEO of Jumoke and later FUSE, he falsely claimed to have a doctoral degree. He resigned from FUSE on June 21.

Dickerson wrote in a message to Jumoke families Monday that Monroe "will provide Jumoke's direction, vision, and strategy for the future." Dickerson began the email by noting it has been a "trying summer."

"It is truly frustrating that Jumoke Academy has never garnered this much attention in all the years that our teachers and leaders have diligently worked to inspire the achievement and accomplishments of our scholars," Dickerson wrote. "It is unfortunate that this episode has caused many of us to doubt our connection to Jumoke, and created tension about our stability for the upcoming school year. Despite the press, Jumoke remains strong and focused on our scholars."

Dickerson's salary was $85,000, according to one list of Jumoke employee salaries released to The Courant through the Freedom of Information Act. At a school meeting July 7, some parents asked whether Dickerson received his job because of nepotism. Sharpe has declined to comment on that accusation.

Dickerson had experience in finance and consulting before becoming Jumoke's executive director last summer, according to his LinkedIn profile. He is the grandson of Jumoke founder Thelma Ellis Dickerson, Sharpe's mother, who established the charter school in 1997.

Monroe, who has been a school principal in Manchester and Middletown, has a doctorate in educational leadership from Central Connecticut State University, Bell said in an emailed announcement to staff.